Mike "I'll give a penalty at the Stretford End, but never in front of the Kop" Riley accepted an invitation to be guest speaker at a meeting of the Bootle and District Referees Association.

Bootle? Yes, the birthplace of Jamie Carragher. The very same Jamie Carragher who accused the hapless official of denying Liverpool a clear-cut penalty against Chelsea recently.

And the venue for last night's meeting? Crosby Services and Social Club in College Road, just down the road from Jamie's plush pad.

One referee told the Insider: "Mike kindly agreed to be our guest speaker quite some time back and we were delighted that he did.

"But with all the controversy that followed Liverpool's home game against Chelsea recently, I wouldn't have been too surprised if he had cancelled.

"But Mike being Mike, he kept his word and said he wouldn't miss it for the world.

"After what went on at Anfield, the one thing no-one can accuse Mike of is lacking bottle."

One man who was only too happy to avoid Riley's appearance was Carragher.

Rather than heading down the road to see his least favourite referee in verbal action, Jamie was tucked up in bed.

A source close to Carragher said: "Jamie has said what he said about that particular referee and I'm sure he stands by it.

"But he's not the type to hold grudges, so no doubt he would have walked down to the social club himself to say hello, only he's got a big game against Watford tonight so he will have been in bed early last night."

In keeping with the referee's code, none of the officials present would discuss Riley's appearance, although one did reveal he did not require a police presence like the last time he came to Merseyside!